Top 29 Most Expensive Luxury Watches in 2010

A stylish watch is probably the ultimate fashion accessory and if you have a thing for watches, you probably know how expensive a beautifully designed timepiece could get. Renowned watchmakers from all over the world use diamonds, platinum, fancy tourbillons, chronographs and perpetual calendars to impress everyone with their most expensive creations.
Business Week asked the most prestigious luxury watch manufacturers about their priciest products currently on the market and that’s how we made this list with the most expensive watches in 2010. Prices range from $75,000 to a staggering $4,599,487 for the most expensive watch in the list.
Enjoy this list with the top 29 Most Expensive Luxury Watches on the market in 2010!

29. Baume & Mercier – William Baume Flying Tourbillon

Price: $75,000

The William Baume Tourbillon features a “flying tourbillon” held in place on only one side, a black dial and black alligator strap. The flying tourbillon is in the 9 o`clock position and in the 6 o`clock position a small seconds display is present. The watch is limited to just 10 units worldwide and it has a 52-hour power reserve.

28. Tag Heuer – Monaco V4

Price: $80,000

Tag Heuer was inspired by cars when they designed this watch and engineered the world’s very first and only belt-driven timepiece. The design is more shock resistant and also requires less maintenance because of the belts and micro ball bearings. An alligator leather strap and a platinum case are the other goodies that come with this watch of which only 150 were manufactured.

27. JeanRichard – Paramount Tourbillon Linear Power Reserve

Price: $128,000

JeanRichard is an independent Swiss watchmaker and this unique tourbillon is probably his most important creation. The Paramont Tourbillon watch uses a linear indicator for the 72-hour power reserve and it comes in an 18 carat white gold case. The stylish watch is paired with a rubber covered alligator strap.

26. Glashütte Original – Julius Assmann 4 in white gold

Price: $161,000

This watch from Glashütte Original was released on the market in 2007 and it features a unique retrograde hour display and tourbillon. It can be worn as a wristwatch or pocket watch and it’s also offered in “cheaper” versions in rose gold or red gold for $145,000.

25. Porsche Design – Indicator P´6910

Price: $225,000

12 Engineers and watchmakers from Porsche Design created this masterpiece from around 800 individual parts. The P’ 6910 is the world’s first chronograph with a mechanical-digital stopwatch function display. It can record up to 9 hours and 59 minutes and it’s available in three variants.

24. Panerai – L’Astronomo Luminor Tourbillon 1950 Equation of Time

Price: $235,000

Panerai unveiled the L`Astronomo only this year at the 2010 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Gevena. The watch was developed as a tribute to Galileo Galilei and it will be produced in a limited run of just 30 units. Clients can specify their hometown, which is engraved on the back near a rotating sky chart of the city. The dial of the watch also displays the sunrise and sunset times of the chosen city.

23. Breitling – Grande Complication

Price: $280,716

Breitling also unveiled this luxurious pocket watch in 2010, featuring a perpetual calendar that displays the date, day, month, leap years and moon phases. The watch also has a minute repeater that strikes the hours, quarter and minutes on demand and it was built from around 700 parts. It comes in an 18 carat yellow gold case which features an engraving of the founder of Bentley.

22. IWC – Grande Complication

Price: $318,000

The Grande Complication collection was laughed by IMC 20 years ago and the most expensive version has a platinum case and bracelet. It features a perpetual calendar with moon phase, and a minute repeater combined with a chronograph with an automatic movement. Only 50 pieces of this watch are produced every year.

21. Concord – C1 Tourbillon Gravity

Price: $320,000

The C1 Tourbillon Gravity features a unique seconds display located on the side of the 18 carat white gold case. The watch also has a flyback chronograph and 84-hour power reserve and it could resist under water up to 30 meters.

20. Montblanc – Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses

Price: $365,750

The Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses is available in 18 carat white gold, limited to eight pieces, each being priced at $319,000, 18 carat red gold, also limited to eight pieces, each priced at $302,500 and, the most expensive version, a one-off platinum timepiece.

19. Chopard – Secret

Price: $508,000

Chopard’s Secret features a square pave set diamond dial and frame inside a case composed of brilliant diamonds with a total of 19 carats. The watch comes with a satin strap and a baguette-cut diamond clasp. The Swiss watchmaker has only produced two Secret watches so far.

18. A. Lange & Söhne – Tourbograph “Pour le Mérite”

Price: $508,900

A. Lange & Söhne has manufactured only 50 units of this watch which is made from honey gold and features a one-minute tourbillon and a double chronograph. The company is part o the Richemont Group today and these limited edition watches can be purchased only in New York, Dresden, Shanghai or Tokyo.

17. de Grisogono – Meccanico dG S25D

Price: $590,000
The Meccanico dG collection with badnette diamonds was launched by de Grisogono at this year’s Baselworld. The most expensive of them, the S25D, was produced in just 20 units and it’s available in three versions: with bagnette diamonds, with white pave diamonds or black pave diamonds. The watch displays two time zones and has both analong and digital displays and a power reserve indicator.

16. Girard-Perregaux – Vintage Jackpot Tourbillon

Price: $625,000

The Jackpot Tourbillon is made with rose gold and features a manual wind movement with 38 jewels and power reserve of 96 hours. The watch features a decorative slot machine that chimes whenever the lever is pulled. It also comes with a folding buckle on a crocodile strap.

15. Greubel Forsey – Quadruple Tourbillon

Price: $690,000

This complex watch has an asymmetrical platinum case and two beautiful separate double tourbillons which were made of a total of 531 parts. The watchmaker is well known for offering two or even four tourbillon mechanisms in the same watch case and this is probably his best creation. An alligator leather strap also comes with this beautiful timepiece.

14. Vacheron Constantin – Malte Tourbillon Regulator

Price: $700,000

The Malte Tourbillon Regulator has 263 baguette-cut diamonds embedded on its dial and 274 baguette-cut diamonds embedded on its case. It features a tourbillon at 6 o`clock and it comes with a black leather strap. The case is in the classic shape of the Malte collection.

13. Omega – Constellation Baguette

Price: $708,742

The Constellation Baguette is a one of a kind watch from Omega with 459 Top Weselton embedded diamonds, totaling over 30 carats. The case of the watch is made of 18 carat white gold but it’s completely covered by 146 baguette and trapeze diamonds on the dial.

12. Breguet – Classique 5349 Grande Complication

Price: $755,000

The Classique 5349 Grande Complication from Breguet features a dial covered in diamonds and twin rotating tourbillons in a platinum case with embedded baguette-cut diamonds. The watch was built from more than 570 parts and it has three patents to protect its superior precision and technology.

11. Audemars Piguet – Jules Audemars Grande Complication

Price: $780,600

This one of a kind, self winding skeleton watch has a titanium case and features a perpetual calendar which indicates the hours, minutes, day, date, week, moon phases, month and leap years. The watch also has a minute repeater chronograph and a crocodile leather strap.

10. Jacob & Co. – Crystal Tourbillon

Price: $900,000

The Crystal Tourbillon has an 18 carat gold case covered in baguette-cut diamonds which total 17.48 carats and it also has a transparent skeleton tourbillon dial. Only 18 pieces of this watch were manufactured by Jacob & Co. The watch is finished with an alligator band with a 2.22 carat baguette diamond buckle.

9. Hublot – Million $ Black Caviar Bang

Price: $1,000,000

The Black Caviar Bang from Hublot has the case, crown dial and clasp encrusted in baguette-cut black diamonds. The watch has 544 diamonds, with a total of 34.5 carats and it has no numbers on its dial. It has an adjustable leather strap and last year it won the Grand Prix de Geneve Jewelry Watch prize.

8. Ulysse Nardin – Royal Blue Tourbillon

Price: $1,000,000

Ulysee Nardin produced only 30 pieces of this beautiful timepiece which comes with a platinum case and bracelet with a total of 568 baguette-cut Top Wesseldon diamonds and 234 baguette-cut royal blue sapphires. The diamonds from this watch make a total of 33.8 carats while the sapphires total 16.79 carats.

7. Patek Philippe – Sky Moon Tourbillon

Price: $1,091,869

This is the first double-faced wristwatch from Patek Philippe and features the nocturnal sky on its reverse side with the motion of the stars, the orbit of the moon and its phases and a display of sidereal time. It also features a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon and a minute repeater.

6. Blancpain – Tourbillon Diamants

Price: $1,812,700

The Tourbillon Diamants from Blancpain features 480 embedded diamonds totaling 58 carats on the dial, bezel, case, lugs and bracelet. It is self winding and it has an exceptionally long power reserve of seven days. This luxurious timepiece is water resistant to a depth of 100 meters.

5. Parmigiani Fleurier – Fibonacci Pocket Watch

Price: $2,400,000

The Fibonacci pocket watch has a case decorated with enameling of a lotus flower which mimics Fibonacci’s Golden Rule and it’s represented by the snail shape. The watch features mother-of-pearl counters and a white gold dial with a minute repeater with cathedral chimes and a perpetual calendar. The piece can take up to two years to be made.

4. Franck Muller – Aeternitas Mega 4

Price: $2,700,000

The Aeternitas Mega 4 has more components and complications than probably almost every other watch in the world. It’s made of 1,483 components and it has 36 complications. The watch displays three time zones and a 999-year calendar, it has a flyback chronograph and chimes the Carillon Westminster melody on the hour with small strikes on the quarter hour.

3. Cartier – Secret watch with phoenix decor

Price: $2,755,000

Cartier’s Secret watch received an extra twist of luxury for this one of a kind phoenix shaped wristwatch. The timepiece is made of 18 carat, rhodium-plated white gold and it uses emeralds for the eyes and a big pear-shaped portrait cut diamond weighting 3.53 carats on it. The watch is covered by 3,010 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 80.13 carats.

2. Piaget – Emperador “Temple”

Price: $3,300,000

The Emperador “Temple” from Piaget has actually two hidden watches that are revealed by pushing down on certain parts. The first watch has a set with 481 brilliant-cut diamonds, 207 baguette-cut diamonds and an emerald-cut diamond on the top of the case while the second watch has a tourbillon, a Polynesian mother of pearl dial, 162 brilliant-cut diamonds and 11 baguette-cut diamonds. The bracelet is also covered with 350 baguette-cut diamonds.

1. Louis Moinet – Meteoris

Price: $4,599,487

The Swiss watchmaker Louis Moinet introduced this new concept called Meteoris in the first month of 2010. The watch is actually a collection of four tourbillon watches, each made out of worldly materials such as meteorite from Mars, the moon, an asteroid and an ancient meteorite called Rosetta Stone. The company worked with universities around the world to authenticate these materials and this watch also come with a planetarium that depicts the solar system.

10 World Biggest Holes on Earth

It is believed that holes are wrath of god on this earth and are pathway to hell. Most people reading this would agree but here it is certainly not the case. Holes created in different parts of the world either due to human works like mining, as sum of these are diamond mine shafts that have been abandoned or due to wrath of god as we all know through meteor shower or something similar falling that made the dinosaurs extinct are today popular vacation spots as they are a visual extravaganza.
Whether it’s the Great Blue Hole of Belize, Mirny Diamond Mine of Siberia or the Burning Gates of Turkmenistan, all of these attract a hell lot of tourists and adventure seekers every year just to get a glimpse and experience the ultimate souvenir of nature. Check these cool pictures.

Mirny Diamond Mine of Siberia

Great Blue Hole – Belize

Burning Gates of Turkmenistan

Kimberley Big Hole -  South Africa

Bingham Canyon Mine – Utah

Glory Hole in Monticello Dam California

Diavik Diamond Mine – Canada

Guatemala Sinkhole

Chuquicamata Copper Mine – Chile

Udachnaya Pipe – Russia

Top 15 Most Beautiful Roads in the World

The greatest driving roads in the world should have a perfect mixture between challenging and complicated bends, long fast straights, little to no traffic and especially breathtaking views!
These roads might have enough twists and turns to give you a headache but you’ll feel incredible after you’ve conquered them and you’ll surely want to try it again and again and again.
Here is a list with the 15 Most Beautiful Roads in the World to drive on and another five honorable mentions that you’ll surely like. Enjoy!

15. The Overseas Highway – Florida Keys

The Overseas Highway leaps from island to island across 42 bridges southwest through Florida Keys and it was built in 1938 along the course of an old railroad that has been destroyed by a hurricane. The highway is mostly over water and in about four hours you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and the ocean and of course, the incredible sunrises and sunsets if you come here at the right time. During holidays the traffic will make journeys through this highway a bit longer but I’m sure everyone would love to stay on this road as long as possible.

14. Red Rock Scenic Road – USA

The Red Rock Scenic Road winds through Sedona’s Red Rock Country, often called a “museum without walls”. The road provides a splendid view of the stunning red rocks which seem alive like a timeless spirit that captivates and inspires everyone. The Red Rock Scenic byway also passes through the Montezuma Castle National Monument and the Coconino National Forest giving every driver an amazing sense of intimacy with nature.

13. Iroha-zaka – Japan

Iroha-zaka is a winding road from Japan which connects central Nikko and Oku-Nikko. The road comprises of 48 curves and each corner has an ancient Japanese alphabet, starting in alphabetical order from I-ro-ha which also gave this road’s name. Iroha-zaka is actually made of two roads, one to come down and another to go up and they both have 48 curves matching the 48 letters of the ancient Japanese alphabet.

12. Atlantic Road – Norway

The Atlantic Road was voted as the Norwegian construction of the century and it’s a five mile long stretch of road connecting Molde and Kristiansund in this country. The road rides above some rough and uneven surfaces and it’s spectacular because it rises itself and falls at many places like a sea at the time of a rough tide. Apart from the incredible road itself, the scenery surrounding it could give any driver shivers.

11. Oberalp Pass – Switzerland

The Oberalp Pass in an incredible road in the high Swiss mountains that’s an important link between Central Switzerland and the Graubunden Oberland. The road is really popular for all drivers from Europe but it’s only open during summer months. In winter this pass is closed for road traffic and the road itself is used as a ski slope, toboggan run and hiking trail!

10. North Yungas “Road of Death” – Bolivia

The North Yungas Road is a 43 mile road connecting La Paz and Coroico deep into the Bolivian Andes. The road is name by the locals “El Camino de la Muerte” or the Road of Death and it was named the world’s most dangerous road in 1995. The road, famous for its extreme danger has a single lane width with terrifyingly drop offs, tight hairpins, narrow passages and almost no guardrails at all. The fog and rain can make visibility poor and the road surface muddy which adds even more dancer to any journey on this road. On average, there is a fatal accident every couple of weeks on this road and it is estimated that 200 to 300 travelers are killer per year on this treacherous road. Today however, the Youngas road has less traffic and it used mostly by travelers who want to feel its thrill.

9. Trollstigen – Norway

One of the most notable attractions from the Fjord in Norway is the Trollstigen road, a steep winding mountain road located in the Rauma region. The word Trollstigen means the Troll Ladder in English and it represents a series of stunning roads with a breathtaking view and a couple of incredible waterfalls. This road is very narrow and leaves very few possibilities for vehicles to pass each other and with its steep 9% gradient and 11 hairpins it’s really, really challenging. But it’s all worth it if you get to the top where you’ll see this amazing road from above and the Stigfossen waterfall, a 320 m waterfall which falls down the mountain side.

8. Guoliang Tunnel Road – China

The Guoliang Tunnel Road was built by 13 local villagers headed in only five years in the Taihang mountains in the Hunan province of China. Many villagers lost their lives in accidents during the construction of this tunnel but in 1977 it was opened to traffic. The tunnel carved from the mountains is 1,200 meters long, 5 meters high and 4 meters wide and its also one of the most dangerous roads in the world. This extremely beautiful scenic route was dubbed as “the road that does not tolerate any mistakes” and its a key destination on the Chinese tourism map.

7. San Bernardino Pass – Switzerland

Another high mountain pass across the Swiss Alps is the San Bernardino Pass and the road that goes through it and connects the Swiss towns Misox and Hinterrhein is also one of the world’s greatest roads. The pass is located at 2,065 meters and the road has incredibly smooth roads, a lot of hairpins and challenging bends and of course, amazing scenic views. The road also goes through an impressive 6.6 km long tunnel.

6. Los Caracoles Pass – Andes

Los Caracoles Road passes through the harsh terrain of the Andreas Mountains from the Andes on the way between Chile and Argentina. The road has many hard switchbacks on an extremely steep incline and numerous hairpins without any safety guard rails. For the most part of the year, this pass is covered by snow and that makes it incredibly hard to negotiate. Despite the fact that it’s one of the most challenging roads in the world, the Los Caracoles Pass has a strong safety record.

5. Col de Turini – France

The Col de Turini is situated in a mountain pass in the south of France in the Alps at more than 1 mile above sea level. The road is included as part of a 20 miles rally stage every year of the Monte Carlo Rally in the World Rally Championship and it combines 34 hairpins and long stretch lines where cars can reach top speeds of over 110 mph. This stage is one of the most challenges stages from the WRC and apart from the wonderful road, the scenery also makes it one of the most attractive and exciting roads on Earth.

4. The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road – UAE

The Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road in the United Arab Emirates extends for 7.3 miles with 60 turns up the mountain of a height of 1,219 m. The UAE road scales the mountain with a beautiful view of the desert below and ends at a parking lot with only a hotel and of course, a palace, belonging to the country’s rulers. The road is a mixture of fast straights and sweeping curves that merge perfectly from one to another forming this amazing driving road in the middle of the desert.

3. Lysebotn Road – Norway

The Lysebotn Road is considered one of the most breathtaking roads in Europe and it all starts with the narrow road up the steep walls of the Lysefjord, Norway. The road includes 27 challenging hairpins and a 1.1 km long tunnel at the bottom which also has 3 switchbacks inside to make things even more interesting.  The surface of the road is perfect and the ones who were already on this road think of it as a rollercoaster. It’s probably the most fun road from Norway and its last 30 km to Lysebotn will put a smile on every driving enthusiast’s face.

2. Stelvio Pass – Italy

From the Eastern Alps in Italy, the Stelvio Pass Road connects the Valtellina with Merano and the upper Adige valley. This is the second highest paved mountain road in the Alps and its situated at an altitude of around 1.7 miles (about 2,757 meters) above sea level. The Stelvio Pass is one of the best continuous hairpin routes in the world and its fame came from the presence of 48 hairpin bends and the fact that the road becomes very narrow at some points and it has a couple of very steep inclines. This road is regarded by many car enthusiasts as one of the most challenging roads in the world and it’s scenery is absolutely breathtaking and spectacular.

1. Transfagarasan – Romania

The Transfăgărășan (that’s the exact spelling) is the highest and most dramatic paved road from Romania. Built as a strategic military route by the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1970 and 1974, this road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti. The Transfagarasan represents 90 km of twists and turns run North to South across the tallest sections of the Carpathian Mountains between the highest peaks of the mountain in this country.
On top of the mountains this road provides access to Balea Lake, a glacier lake which has been here for thousands of years and it also has an almost 1 km long tunnel straight through the mountain’s top. The road was built at a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint with more than 6 million kilograms of explosive being used on the northern face and official records of 40 soldiers who lost their lives while building it. Unofficial records however mention that only the tunnel took about 400 lives.
The north end of the road is the most spectacular and it’s dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S curves and sharp descents combined with an absolutely stunning view! Between October and June this road is under the snow and usually closed so… that means only a couple of months in the summer it’s available to enjoy a pure driving pleasure. Top Gear also named this road as the best road in the world !

Honorable mentions:

Millau Viaduct – France

Autobahn – Germany

Great Ocean Road – Australia

Taroko Gorge Road -Taiwan

Leh–Manali Highway – India